Stanley a proud host of youth baseball tournament

STANLEY — It was October when Dixie Youth Baseball officials visited Stanley as part of the town’s bid to host a state tournament this summer.

Only problem: Harper Park was still under construction.

“You could tell it was a park,” said Tug Deason, Stanley’s recreation director.

And apparently that was enough for Dixie Youth Baseball, which went ahead and awarded Stanley the North Carolina Dixie Youth Baseball AAA State Tournament for ages 9-10. The tournament began Saturday and runs all week.

Dixie Youth officials returned in May to confirm the park was ready to host the tournament and, sure enough, Harper Park was good to go, only days away from its grand opening ceremony. The $1.4 million facility on Black Snake Road has been the center of attention in Stanley this week, with as many as 1,500 people in attendance at a time.

“For us, it was a pride thing for our department and town for people to see that such a small town could put on such a great event,” Deason said.

That’s why Stanley Parks and Recreation was willing to pay a $10,000 fee to host the tournament. The department sold signs and program advertisements to help pay for the tournament and didn’t use any taxpayer money toward the fee, Deason said. That total doesn’t include other up-front expenses such as T-shirts, concessions and field maintenance.

Deason figures the tournament will pay for itself by the end of the week but isn’t treating the event as a fundraiser. This is a chance for the town to showcase its new venue and hospitality, and the visitors have responded favorably.

“They’ve just been very nice,” said Kristie Lynch of Southport, who learned that the hard way. Her son suffered from a brief spell of dehydration 30 minutes before one of his games, but emergency personnel responded promptly and allowed him to cool off in a police car until he recovered, she said.

The fireworks display at the opening ceremony also topped anything Lynch has seen, and that’s coming from someone who lives in a town known for its Independence Day fireworks. Opening ceremony also featured an appearance by former N.C. State basketball star David Thompson.

Dixie Youth directors have also raved about Stanley’s performance as a host. Two fields are required to host a tournament, but Dixie Youth officials focus as much on the people hosting a tournament as they do the facility.

“The real key is to have a good organization that has plenty of help,” Dixie Youth state director Carey Wrenn said. “They’ve hit the nail on the head with everything.”

It helps that Harper Park offers more than just the baseball fields. While parents watch the games, their other kids can play in the splash zone or on the playground.

Dixie Youth doesn’t make multi-year arrangements, but Stanley will have a chance to host again next year.

“It’s like a first date. If it goes well, you’re going to get a second one,” Wrenn said.

Local restaurants have seen mixed results as a result of the extra visitors this week.

Friendly’s of Stanley, a family restaurant that serves home-style food, displays a sign welcoming the Dixie Youth players and fans this week. The restaurant, located on Main Street near the park, enjoyed a 30 percent increase in sales Saturday and Sunday, co-owner Mike Sahms said. Since then, Sahms hasn’t detected any further uptick in sales, something he blames on his restaurant’s 7:30 p.m. closing time. In other words, the games are still being played after his doors are closed.

Managers at Niko’s Grill on Main Street and Gus’ Sir Beef, just off Main Street, said they haven’t experienced any additional sales since the start of the tournament.

Gus’ Sir Beef manager George Bacogeorge said his restaurant’s low visibility is one factor for seeing no increase in sales this week but also believes the absence of hotels in Stanley has contributed.

“There’s nothing to keep them in the town,” Bacogeorge said.

Eleven of the 16 participating teams are staying in hotels, Wrenn said. Just not in Stanley. Deason reserved a total of 900 hotel rooms at five hotels: three in Gastonia, one in Mount Holly, one in Belmont.

While visitors might not be spending as many dollars in town as organizers would have hoped, they are spending money at the park itself. Fans bought 400 T-shirts over the first two days and snatched up all 350 programs on Saturday.

Admission is $5 each day and that money has added up quickly with 1,200 in attendance Saturday, 1,000 Sunday and 700 Monday.

For Deason, that’s a small part of the story.

“It’s just been a great week,” he said.

You may contact Phillip Gardner at 704-869-1843 or twitter.com/gazettephil.